decontaminate

[ dee-kuhn-tam-uh-neyt ]
See synonyms for decontaminate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),de·con·tam·i·nated, de·con·tam·i·nat·ing.
  1. to make (an object or area) safe for unprotected personnel by removing, neutralizing, or destroying any harmful substance, as radioactive material or poisonous gas.

  2. to make free of contamination; purify: to decontaminate a sickroom.

Origin of decontaminate

1
First recorded in 1935–40; de- + contaminate

Other words from decontaminate

  • de·con·tam·i·na·tion, noun
  • de·con·tam·i·na·tive, adjective
  • de·con·tam·i·na·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use decontaminate in a sentence

  • In Pasadena, they told him a diesel railway engine had been successfully decontaminated and put into operation.

    The Year When Stardust Fell | Raymond F. Jones

British Dictionary definitions for decontaminate

decontaminate

/ (ˌdiːkənˈtæmɪˌneɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to render (an area, building, object, etc) harmless by the removal, distribution, or neutralization of poisons, radioactivity, etc

Derived forms of decontaminate

  • decontaminant, noun
  • decontamination, noun
  • decontaminative, adjective
  • decontaminator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012